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Meyer M, Melville DW, Baldwin HJ, Wilhelm K, Nkrumah EE, Badu EK, Oppong SK, Schwensow N, Stow A, Vallo P, Corman VM, Tschapka M, Drosten C, Sommer S. Bat species assemblage predicts coronavirus prevalence. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2887. [PMID: 38575573 PMCID: PMC10994947 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46979-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbances and the subsequent loss of biodiversity are altering species abundances and communities. Since species vary in their pathogen competence, spatio-temporal changes in host assemblages may lead to changes in disease dynamics. We explore how longitudinal changes in bat species assemblages affect the disease dynamics of coronaviruses (CoVs) in more than 2300 cave-dwelling bats captured over two years from five caves in Ghana. This reveals uneven CoV infection patterns between closely related species, with the alpha-CoV 229E-like and SARS-related beta-CoV 2b emerging as multi-host pathogens. Prevalence and infection likelihood for both phylogenetically distinct CoVs is influenced by the abundance of competent species and naïve subadults. Broadly, bat species vary in CoV competence, and highly competent species are more common in less diverse communities, leading to increased CoV prevalence in less diverse bat assemblages. In line with the One Health framework, our work supports the notion that biodiversity conservation may be the most proactive measure to prevent the spread of pathogens with zoonotic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Meyer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
| | - Dominik W Melville
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Heather J Baldwin
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kerstin Wilhelm
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Evans Ewald Nkrumah
- Department of Wildlife and Range Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Ebenezer K Badu
- Department of Wildlife and Range Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Samuel Kingsley Oppong
- Department of Wildlife and Range Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Nina Schwensow
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Adam Stow
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Peter Vallo
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Victor M Corman
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Christian Drosten
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Simone Sommer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
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Zhu D, Liu Y, Gong L, Si M, Wang Q, Feng J, Jiang T. The Consumption and Diversity Variation Responses of Agricultural Pests and Their Dietary Niche Differentiation in Insectivorous Bats. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:815. [PMID: 38473199 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Insectivorous bats are generalist predators and can flexibly respond to fluctuations in the distribution and abundance of insect prey. To better understand the effects of bats on arthropod pests, the types of pests eaten by bats and the response of bats to insect prey need to be determined. In this study, we performed DNA metabarcoding to examine prey composition and pest diversity in the diets of four insectivorous species of bats (Hipposideros armiger, Taphozous melanopogon, Aselliscus stoliczkanus, and Miniopterus fuliginosus). We evaluated the correlation between bat activity and insect resources and assessed dietary niche similarity and niche breadth among species and factors that influence prey consumption in bats. We found that the diets of these bats included arthropods from 23 orders and 200 families, dominated by Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. The proportion of agricultural pests in the diet of each of the four species of bats exceeded 40% and comprised 713 agricultural pests, including those that caused severe economic losses. Bats responded to the availability of insects. For example, a higher abundance of insects, especially Lepidoptera, and a higher insect diversity led to an increase in the duration of bat activity. In areas with more abundant insects, the number of bat passes also increased. The dietary composition, diversity, and niches differed among species and were particularly significant between H. armiger and T. melanopogon; the dietary niche width was the greatest in A. stoliczkanus and the narrowest in H. armiger. The diet of bats was correlated with their morphological and echolocation traits. Larger bats preyed more on insects in the order Coleoptera, whereas the proportion of bats consuming insects in the order Lepidoptera increased as the body size decreased. Bats that emitted echolocation calls with a high peak frequency and duration preyed more on insects in the order Mantodea. Our results suggest that dietary niche differentiation promotes the coexistence of different bat species and increases the ability of bats to consume insect prey and agricultural pests. Our findings provide greater insights into the role of bats that prey on agricultural pests and highlight the importance of combining bat conservation with integrated pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zhu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Yingying Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Lixin Gong
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Man Si
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Qiuya Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
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Hunter SB, Oedin M, Weeds J, Mathews F. Exploring the potential for online data sources to enhance species threat mapping through the case study of global bat exploitation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14242. [PMID: 38439694 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Expanding digital data sources, including social media and online news, provide a low-cost way to examine human-nature interactions, such as wildlife exploitation. However, the extent to which using such data sources can expand or bias understanding of the distribution and intensity of threats has not been comprehensively assessed. To address this gap, we quantified the geographical and temporal distribution of online sources documenting the hunting and trapping, consumption, or trade of bats (Chiroptera) and compared these with the distribution of studies obtained from a systematic literature search and species listed as threatened by exploitation on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Online records were collected using automated searches of Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Bing and were filtered using machine classification. This yielded 953 relevant social media posts and web pages, encompassing 1099 unique records of bat exploitation from 84 countries. Although the number of records per country was significantly predicted by the number of academic studies per country, online records provided additional locations and more recent records of bat exploitation, including 22 countries not present in academic literature. This demonstrates the value of online resources in providing more complete geographical representation. However, confounding variables can bias the analysis of spatiotemporal trends. Online bat exploitation records showed peaks in 2020 and 2014, after accounting for increases in internet users through time. The second of these peaks could be attributed to the COVID-19 outbreak, and speculation about the role of bats in its epidemiology, rather than to true changes in exploitation. Overall, our results showed that data from online sources provide additional knowledge on the global extent of wildlife exploitation, which could be used to identify early warnings of emerging threats and pinpoint locations for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Malik Oedin
- Province Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Pouembout, New Caledonia
| | - Julie Weeds
- School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Fiona Mathews
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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Weber N, Nagy M, Markotter W, Schaer J, Puechmaille SJ, Sutton J, Dávalos LM, Dusabe MC, Ejotre I, Fenton MB, Knörnschild M, López-Baucells A, Medellin RA, Metz M, Mubareka S, Nsengimana O, O'Mara MT, Racey PA, Tuttle M, Twizeyimana I, Vicente-Santos A, Tschapka M, Voigt CC, Wikelski M, Dechmann DK, Reeder DM. Robust evidence for bats as reservoir hosts is lacking in most African virus studies: a review and call to optimize sampling and conserve bats. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230358. [PMID: 37964576 PMCID: PMC10646460 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Africa experiences frequent emerging disease outbreaks among humans, with bats often proposed as zoonotic pathogen hosts. We comprehensively reviewed virus-bat findings from papers published between 1978 and 2020 to evaluate the evidence that African bats are reservoir and/or bridging hosts for viruses that cause human disease. We present data from 162 papers (of 1322) with original findings on (1) numbers and species of bats sampled across bat families and the continent, (2) how bats were selected for study inclusion, (3) if bats were terminally sampled, (4) what types of ecological data, if any, were recorded and (5) which viruses were detected and with what methodology. We propose a scheme for evaluating presumed virus-host relationships by evidence type and quality, using the contrasting available evidence for Orthoebolavirus versus Orthomarburgvirus as an example. We review the wording in abstracts and discussions of all 162 papers, identifying key framing terms, how these refer to findings, and how they might contribute to people's beliefs about bats. We discuss the impact of scientific research communication on public perception and emphasize the need for strategies that minimize human-bat conflict and support bat conservation. Finally, we make recommendations for best practices that will improve virological study metadata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Weber
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- University of Ulm, Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm, Germany
| | - Martina Nagy
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wanda Markotter
- Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Juliane Schaer
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sébastien J. Puechmaille
- ISEM, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Liliana M. Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution and Consortium for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, USA
| | | | - Imran Ejotre
- Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Muni University, Arua, Uganda
| | - M. Brock Fenton
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mirjam Knörnschild
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- Evolutionary Ethology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
| | | | - Rodrigo A. Medellin
- Institute of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Samira Mubareka
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - M. Teague O'Mara
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
- Bat Conservation International Austin, TX, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, USA
| | - Paul A. Racey
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Merlin Tuttle
- Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation, Austin, TX USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, USA
| | | | - Amanda Vicente-Santos
- Graduate Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Marco Tschapka
- University of Ulm, Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
| | | | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Dina K.N. Dechmann
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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López-Baucells A, Revilla-Martín N, Mas M, Alonso-Alonso P, Budinski I, Fraixedas S, Fernández-Llamazares Á. Newspaper Coverage and Framing of Bats, and Their Impact on Readership Engagement. ECOHEALTH 2023:10.1007/s10393-023-01634-x. [PMID: 37247188 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-023-01634-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The media is a valuable pathway for transforming people's attitudes towards conservation issues. Understanding how bats are framed in the media is hence essential for bat conservation, particularly considering the recent fearmongering and misinformation about the risks posed by bats. We reviewed bat-related articles published online no later than 2019 (before the recent COVID19 pandemic), in 15 newspapers from the five most populated countries in Western Europe. We examined the extent to which bats were presented as a threat to human health and the assumed general attitudes towards bats that such articles supported. We quantified press coverage on bat conservation values and evaluated whether the country and political stance had any information bias. Finally, we assessed their terminology and, for the first time, modelled the active response from the readership based on the number of online comments. Out of 1095 articles sampled, 17% focused on bats and diseases, 53% on a range of ecological and conservation topics, and 30% only mention bats anecdotally. While most of the ecological articles did not present bats as a threat (97%), most articles focusing on diseases did so (80%). Ecosystem services were mentioned on very few occasions in both types (< 30%), and references to the economic benefits they provide were meagre (< 4%). Disease-related concepts were recurrent, and those articles that framed bats as a threat were the ones that garnered the highest number of comments. Therefore, we encourage the media to play a more proactive role in reinforcing positive conservation messaging by presenting the myriad ways in which bats contribute to safeguarding human well-being and ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrià López-Baucells
- BiBio - Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Avinguda Francesc Macià 51 Baixos, 08402, Granollers, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Natalia Revilla-Martín
- BiBio - Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Avinguda Francesc Macià 51 Baixos, 08402, Granollers, Catalonia, Spain
- Conservation Biology Group (GBiC), Landscape Dynamics and Biodiversity Program, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Catalonia, Spain
| | - Maria Mas
- BiBio - Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Avinguda Francesc Macià 51 Baixos, 08402, Granollers, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Pedro Alonso-Alonso
- CIBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Vila do Conde, Distrito do Porto, Portugal
- Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85745, USA
| | - Ivana Budinski
- BiBio - Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Avinguda Francesc Macià 51 Baixos, 08402, Granollers, Catalonia, Spain
- Department of Genetic Research, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Sara Fraixedas
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Ahmed T, Amjad OB, Ahmed H, Ahmed S, Ansari JA, Ricketson R, Tahir MF. A cross-sectional survey on fruit bat-human interaction in Pakistan; one health perspective. ONE HEALTH OUTLOOK 2023; 5:3. [PMID: 36855213 PMCID: PMC9973238 DOI: 10.1186/s42522-023-00078-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Several factors, such as residential area topography, population density, and lack of infrastructure, were hypothesized to contribute toward respondents' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding disease transmission. The present study was designed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and perception of human-fruit bat interaction by student respondents located in ten districts within the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in Pakistan. METHOD A cross-sectional survey was conducted by trained enumerators in academic institutions using a structured questionnaire among student respondents (n = 1466), living in two topographically distinct (Mountainous and Plain) residential regions of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces in Pakistan regarding their history of bat encounters. RESULTS Our study revealed that 71.4% of the 1466 respondents had observed bats in their geographic region. 21% of our survey respondents reported bat bites incidents over their lifetime, but only 40% actively sought medical care for wound management despite reporting they had a close family member that had contracted rabies (27-35%). Our generalized linear models (GLMs) highlighted that a respondent residing in a residential region had a greater association with reporting a suspected bat bite over their lifetime and reported rabies victims in both near and extended family members (OR = -0,85, p-value = 0.03, 95% CI). This appeared to be due to delaying consulting a doctor or medical facility for treatment following a suspected bat bite in the topographic residential group as compared to the respondents in the provincial residential group (OR 1.12, p-value = 0.04, 95% CI). CONCLUSION Our findings indicate the necessity of a One Health comprehensive surveillance system in Pakistan for emerging and re-emerging zoonotic pathogens in Pteropodidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Touseef Ahmed
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX USA
| | - Osama Bin Amjad
- Department of Meat Sciences and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Haseeb Ahmed
- Department of Meat Sciences and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
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Role of Brazilian bats in the epidemiological cycle of potentially zoonotic pathogens. Microb Pathog 2023; 177:106032. [PMID: 36804526 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Bats (Chiroptera) are flying mammals of great biodiversity and habits. These characteristics contribute for them being natural reservoirs and part of the epidemiological cycle of several potentially zoonotic pathogens, such as viruses, protozoa, fungi and bacteria. Brazil hosts approximately 15% of the world's bat diversity, with 181 distinct species, 68 genera and 9 families. About 60% of infectious diseases in humans are of zoonotic origin and, in the last decades, the detection of zoonotic pathogens in bats and their environment has been reported, such as Rabies virus (RABV) and Histoplasma capsulatum. Thus, the aim of this work was to review the reports of zoonotic pathogens associated with bats in Brazil in the past ten years. We reviewed the main pathogenic microorganisms described and the species of bats most frequently involved in the epidemiological cycles of these zoonotic agents. The obtained data show an upward trend in the detection of zoonotic pathogens in Brazilian bats, such as RABV, Bartonella sp., Histoplasma capsulatum and Leishmania spp., with emphasis on the bat species Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Desmodus rotundus and Molossus molossus. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring bat-associated microrganisms to early identify pathogens that may threaten bat populations, including potentially zoonotic microrganisms, emphasizing the importance of the One Health approach to prevent and mitigate the risks of the emergence of zoonotic diseases.
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Leong R, Lebarbenchon C, Zhang J, Coleman JL. Q-methodology to understand stakeholder discourses on bat conservation and management in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.1003925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-bat interactions are becoming more frequent with growing proximity between people and wildlife. As such, it is important to understand the perspectives of human stakeholders in these interactions, especially considering how media coverage of bats’ potential roles as the reservoirs of the ancestral virus to SARS-Cov2 has exacerbated negative perceptions of bats. We used Q-methodology to describe diverse viewpoints on bat conservation and management and identify areas of consensus among stakeholders in Singapore. We derived perspectives, problems, and priorities for bat conservation and management based on qualitative and quantitative analyses. The results reveal three distinct discourses. The ecocentric viewpoint advocates conserving bats for their intrinsic value. The anthropocentric viewpoint outright rejects the idea of conserving bats because of the perceived public-health threat that bats pose. The third discourse prioritizes educating citizens and enhancing general appreciation for biodiversity. All stakeholders agree on the need to reconsider COVID-19-related concerns about bats and address misconceptions that could hinder conservation. The top recommendation by stakeholders is to assess and improve bat-related attitudes and beliefs so that citizens become more supportive of conserving bats for their inherent value and roles in maintaining Singapore’s ecosystems. Considering both diverging and consensus viewpoints and engaging various stakeholders in conservation and management decisions can yield both attitudinal change and more effective solutions while meeting the ecological and social needs of conservation.
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9
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Predicted impacts of climate change and extreme temperature events on the future distribution of fruit bat species in Australia. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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10
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Nanni V, Mammola S, Macías-Hernández N, Castrogiovanni A, Salgado AL, Lunghi E, Ficetola GF, Modica C, Alba R, Spiriti MM, Holtze S, de Mello ÉM, De Mori B, Biasetti P, Chamberlain D, Manenti R. Global response of conservationists across mass media likely constrained bat persecution due to COVID-19. BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION 2022; 272:109591. [PMID: 35603331 PMCID: PMC9110911 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Most people lack direct experience with wildlife and form their risk perception primarily on information provided by the media. The way the media frames news may substantially shape public risk perception, promoting or discouraging public tolerance towards wildlife. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, bats were suggested as the most plausible reservoir of the virus, and this became a recurrent topic in media reports, potentially strengthening a negative view of this ecologically important group. We investigated how media framed bats and bat-associated diseases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing the content of 2651 online reports published across 26 countries, to understand how and how quickly worldwide media may have affected the perception of bats. We show that the overabundance of poorly contextualized reports on bat-associated diseases likely increased the persecution towards bats immediately after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the subsequent interventions of different conservation communication initiatives allowed pro-conservation messages to resonate across the global media, likely stemming an increase in bat persecution. Our results highlight the modus operandi of the global media regarding topical biodiversity issues, which has broad implications for species conservation. Knowing how the media acts is pivotal for anticipating the propagation of (mis)information and negative feelings towards wildlife. Working together with journalists by engaging in dialogue and exchanging experiences should be central in future conservation management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Nanni
- School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Science, Technology and Society Department, 25100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano Mammola
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe), Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRSA), Largo Tonolli 50, 28922 Verbania Pallanza, Italy
| | - Nuria Macías-Hernández
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe), Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Animal Biology, Edaphology and Geology, University of Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife 38206, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Alessia Castrogiovanni
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Cleoria, 10, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Ana L Salgado
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Enrico Lunghi
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenicka cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gentile Francesco Ficetola
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Cleoria, 10, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Corrado Modica
- Faunico office of species protection, Leanderstraße 16, 54295 Trier, Germany
| | - Riccardo Alba
- Dept. of Life Science and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina, 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Michela Spiriti
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy
| | - Susanne Holtze
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Érica Munhoz de Mello
- Urban Bats Laboratory, Zoonoses Control Center of Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Barbara De Mori
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy
| | - Pierfrancesco Biasetti
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dan Chamberlain
- Dept. of Life Science and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina, 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Raoul Manenti
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Cleoria, 10, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Laboratory of Subterranean Biology "Enrico Pezzoli", Parco Regionale del Monte Barro, 23851 Galbiate, Italy
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11
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Weinberg M, Yovel Y. Revising the paradigm: Are bats really pathogen reservoirs or do they possess an efficient immune system? iScience 2022; 25:104782. [PMID: 35982789 PMCID: PMC9379578 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
While bats are often referred to as reservoirs of viral pathogens, a meta-analysis of the literature reveals many cases in which there is not enough evidence to claim so. In many cases, bats are able to confront viruses, recover, and remain immune by developing a potent titer of antibodies, often without becoming a reservoir. In other cases, bats might have carried an ancestral virus that at some time point might have mutated into a human pathogen. Moreover, bats exhibit a balanced immune response against viruses that have evolved over millions of years. Using genomic tools, it is now possible to obtain a deeper understanding of that unique immune system and its variability across the order Chiroptera. We conclude, that with the exception of a few viruses, bats pose little zoonotic danger to humans and that they operate a highly efficient anti-inflammatory response that we should strive to understand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Weinberg
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Corresponding author
| | - Yossi Yovel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
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12
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Ribeiro J, Araújo MB, Santana J, Strubbe D, Vaz AS, Reino L. Impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the global demand for exotic pets: An expert elicitation approach. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022; 35:e02067. [PMID: 35194555 PMCID: PMC8849832 DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused immense social and economic costs worldwide. Most experts endorse the view that the virus has a zoonotic origin with the final spillover being associated with wildlife trade. Besides human consumption, wild animals are also extensively traded as pets. Information on zoonotic diseases has been reported to reduce consumer demand for exotic pets. We conducted a global survey and collected 162 responses from international experts on exotic pet trade (traders, academics, NGOs, enforcement entities) to understand how the legal and illegal trade of exotic pets is expected to be affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Our results suggest that legal purchase of exotic pets is perceived as decreasing during the first pandemic wave due to: lower availability of animals for trade, suppliers' inability to reach consumers and social distancing measures. The general perception is that in the future (i.e., next five years), both demand and supply of legally traded exotic pets are expected to either remain unchanged or decrease only temporarily. The consumer demand for illegal exotic pets is also expected to remain unchanged following the outbreak. The top two challenges reported by respondents, when considering the consequences of the pandemic for the exotic pet trade, are inadequate enforcement of national regulations and increased illegal trade. Our results suggest that the negative consequences of a zoonotic outbreak may not dissuade consumers of exotic pets. Worldwide, the transit/storing conditions and lack of health screenings of traded live animals are conducive to spreading diseases. Consumer demand is a key driver of trade, and enforcement of trade regulations will remain challenging, unless factors driving consumer demand are adequately incorporated in problem-solving frameworks. We emphasize the complexity of trade dynamics and the need to go beyond bans on wildlife trade. Stronger law enforcement, implemented along with initiatives dissuading consumption of wild exotic pets, are essential to sustainably satisfy the market demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Ribeiro
- CIBIO/InBIO,Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485‑661 Vairão, Portugal.,CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigaçã o em Biodiversidade e Recursos, Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda,1349‑017 Lisbon, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics,Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Miguel B Araújo
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC), C/ Jose Gutierrez Abascal, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Rui Nabeiro Biodiversity Chair, MED Institute, Largo dos Colegiais, 7000 Évora, Portugal
| | - Joana Santana
- CIBIO/InBIO,Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485‑661 Vairão, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics,Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.,Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | - Diederik Strubbe
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Dept. of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Ana Sofia Vaz
- CIBIO/InBIO,Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485‑661 Vairão, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics,Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.,Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | - Luís Reino
- CIBIO/InBIO,Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485‑661 Vairão, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics,Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.,Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
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13
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Why was this cited? Explainable machine learning applied to COVID-19 research literature. Scientometrics 2022; 127:2313-2349. [PMID: 35431364 PMCID: PMC8993675 DOI: 10.1007/s11192-022-04314-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Multiple studies have investigated bibliometric factors predictive of the citation count a research article will receive. In this article, we go beyond bibliometric data by using a range of machine learning techniques to find patterns predictive of citation count using both article content and available metadata. As the input collection, we use the CORD-19 corpus containing research articles—mostly from biology and medicine—applicable to the COVID-19 crisis. Our study employs a combination of state-of-the-art machine learning techniques for text understanding, including embeddings-based language model BERT, several systems for detection and semantic expansion of entities: ConceptNet, Pubtator and ScispaCy. To interpret the resulting models, we use several explanation algorithms: random forest feature importance, LIME, and Shapley values. We compare the performance and comprehensibility of models obtained by “black-box” machine learning algorithms (neural networks and random forests) with models built with rule learning (CORELS, CBA), which are intrinsically explainable. Multiple rules were discovered, which referred to biomedical entities of potential interest. Of the rules with the highest lift measure, several rules pointed to dipeptidyl peptidase4 (DPP4), a known MERS-CoV receptor and a critical determinant of camel to human transmission of the camel coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Some other interesting patterns related to the type of animal investigated were found. Articles referring to bats and camels tend to draw citations, while articles referring to most other animal species related to coronavirus are lowly cited. Bat coronavirus is the only other virus from a non-human species in the betaB clade along with the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. MERS-CoV is in a sister betaC clade, also close to human SARS coronaviruses. Thus both species linked to high citation counts harbor coronaviruses which are more phylogenetically similar to human SARS viruses. On the other hand, feline (FIPV, FCOV) and canine coronaviruses (CCOV) are in the alpha coronavirus clade and more distant from the betaB clade with human SARS viruses. Other results include detection of apparent citation bias favouring authors with western sounding names. Equal performance of TF-IDF weights and binary word incidence matrix was observed, with the latter resulting in better interpretability. The best predictive performance was obtained with a “black-box” method—neural network. The rule-based models led to most insights, especially when coupled with text representation using semantic entity detection methods. Follow-up work should focus on the analysis of citation patterns in the context of phylogenetic trees, as well on patterns referring to DPP4, which is currently considered as a SARS-Cov-2 therapeutic target.
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14
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An expert-curated global database of online newspaper articles on spiders and spider bites. Sci Data 2022; 9:109. [PMID: 35347145 PMCID: PMC8960780 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01197-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mass media plays an important role in the construction and circulation of risk perception associated with animals. Widely feared groups such as spiders frequently end up in the spotlight of traditional and social media. We compiled an expert-curated global database on the online newspaper coverage of human-spider encounters over the past ten years (2010–2020). This database includes information about the location of each human-spider encounter reported in the news article and a quantitative characterisation of the content—location, presence of photographs of spiders and bites, number and type of errors, consultation of experts, and a subjective assessment of sensationalism. In total, we collected 5348 unique news articles from 81 countries in 40 languages. The database refers to 211 identified and unidentified spider species and 2644 unique human-spider encounters (1121 bites and 147 as deadly bites). To facilitate data reuse, we explain the main caveats that need to be made when analysing this database and discuss research ideas and questions that can be explored with it. Measurement(s) | Newspaper articles on human-spider encounters | Technology Type(s) | Manual extraction | Sample Characteristic - Organism | Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) | Sample Characteristic - Environment | Online | Sample Characteristic - Location | Global |
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15
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Cerri J, Carnevali L, Monaco A, Genovesi P, Bertolino S. Blacklists do not necessarily make people curious about invasive alien species. A case study with Bayesian structural time series and Wikipedia searches about invasive mammals in Italy. NEOBIOTA 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.71.69422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Blacklists of invasive alien species (IAS) are a popular tool for managing and preventing biological invasions. Moreover, blacklists also have the potential to make the general public more curious about biological invasions, usually by benefiting from media coverage and providing accessible examples of IAS.
We have tested if the implementation of the first List of IAS of Union concern by the European Union increased visits to Wikipedia pages on invasive alien mammals in Italy. We adopted causal impact analysis to quantify changes in the overall volume of visits to pages about invasive alien mammals that appeared on the list, by using pages about native mammals as a control. Following the publication of the first Union list, there was no increase in the amount of visits to Wikipedia pages on invasive mammals, regardless of their inclusion in the Union list. Rather, visits to Wikipedia were irregular in time, coinciding with media coverage of single, charismatic species.
Our results indicate that important policymaking initiatives do not necessarily increase curiosity about biological invasions, even when they are covered by generalist media and are relatively easy to understand. We would therefore emphasise that policymaking initiatives should be coupled with adequate communication campaigns and should adopt communication guidelines for generalist media.
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16
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MacFarlane D, Hurlstone MJ, Ecker UKH, Ferraro PJ, Linden S, Wan AKY, Veríssimo D, Burgess G, Chen F, Hall W, Hollands GJ, Sutherland WJ. Reducing demand for overexploited wildlife products: Lessons from systematic reviews from outside conservation science. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas MacFarlane
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- School of Psychological Science University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
| | - Mark J. Hurlstone
- School of Psychological Science University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
- Department of Psychology Lancaster University Lancaster UK
| | - Ullrich K. H. Ecker
- School of Psychological Science University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
| | - Paul J. Ferraro
- Carey Business School and the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, A Joint Department of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering Johns Hopkins University Baltimore Maryland USA
| | - Sander Linden
- Department of Psychology, Social Decision‐Making Laboratory University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Anita K. Y. Wan
- Socio‐Ecological and Conservation Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐Sen University Guangzhou Guangdong China
| | - Diogo Veríssimo
- Oxford Martin Program on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Oxford University Oxford UK
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Gayle Burgess
- TRAFFIC, The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network Cambridge UK
| | - Frederick Chen
- Department of Economics Wake Forest University Winston‐Salem North Carolina USA
| | - Wayne Hall
- National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Gareth J. Hollands
- Behaviour and Health Research Unit, University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - William J. Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- BioRISC, St. Catharine's College Cambridge UK
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17
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Ramírez-Fráncel LA, García-Herrera LV, Losada-Prado S, Reinoso-Flórez G, Sánchez-Hernández A, Estrada-Villegas S, Lim BK, Guevara G. Bats and their vital ecosystem services: a global review. Integr Zool 2022; 17:2-23. [PMID: 34003577 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Bats play crucial ecosystem services as seed dispersers, pollinators, controllers of insects, and nutrient recyclers. However, there has not been a thorough global review evaluating these roles in bats across all biogeographical regions of the world. We reviewed the literature published during the last two decades and identified 283 relevant studies: 78 dealt with the control of potential insect pests by bats, 80 related to the suppression of other arthropods, 60 on the dispersal of native or endemic seeds, 11 dealt with the dispersal of seeds of introduced plants, 29 on the pollination of native or endemic plants, 1 study on pollination of introduced plants, and 24 on the use of guano as fertilizer. Our literature search showed that queries combining the terms "seed dispersal," "insectivorous bats," "nectarivorous bats," "use of guano," and "ecosystem services" returned 577 studies, but half were experimental in nature. We found that the evaluation of ecosystem services by bats has been mostly conducted in the Neotropical and Palearctic regions. To detect differences across relevant studies, and to explain trends in the study of ecosystem services provided by bats, we performed generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) fitted with a Poisson distribution to analyze potential differences among sampling methods. We identified 409 bat species that provide ecosystem services, 752 insect species consumed by bats and 549 plant species either dispersed or pollinated by bats. Our review summarizes the importance of conserving bat populations and the ecological services they provide, which is especially important during the current pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leidy Azucena Ramírez-Fráncel
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia.,Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Leidy Viviana García-Herrera
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia.,Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Sergio Losada-Prado
- Departamento de Biología & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Gladys Reinoso-Flórez
- Departamento de Biología & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Alfonso Sánchez-Hernández
- Departamento de Matemáticas y Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Sergio Estrada-Villegas
- Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia.,Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
| | - Burton K Lim
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giovany Guevara
- Departamento de Biología & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
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18
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Beranová L, Joachimiak MP, Kliegr T, Rabby G, Sklenák V. Why was this cited? Explainable machine learning applied to COVID-19 research literature. Scientometrics 2022; 127. [PMID: 35431364 PMCID: PMC8993675 DOI: 10.1007/s11192-022-04314-9 10.1007/s11192-022-04314-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Multiple studies have investigated bibliometric factors predictive of the citation count a research article will receive. In this article, we go beyond bibliometric data by using a range of machine learning techniques to find patterns predictive of citation count using both article content and available metadata. As the input collection, we use the CORD-19 corpus containing research articles-mostly from biology and medicine-applicable to the COVID-19 crisis. Our study employs a combination of state-of-the-art machine learning techniques for text understanding, including embeddings-based language model BERT, several systems for detection and semantic expansion of entities: ConceptNet, Pubtator and ScispaCy. To interpret the resulting models, we use several explanation algorithms: random forest feature importance, LIME, and Shapley values. We compare the performance and comprehensibility of models obtained by "black-box" machine learning algorithms (neural networks and random forests) with models built with rule learning (CORELS, CBA), which are intrinsically explainable. Multiple rules were discovered, which referred to biomedical entities of potential interest. Of the rules with the highest lift measure, several rules pointed to dipeptidyl peptidase4 (DPP4), a known MERS-CoV receptor and a critical determinant of camel to human transmission of the camel coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Some other interesting patterns related to the type of animal investigated were found. Articles referring to bats and camels tend to draw citations, while articles referring to most other animal species related to coronavirus are lowly cited. Bat coronavirus is the only other virus from a non-human species in the betaB clade along with the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. MERS-CoV is in a sister betaC clade, also close to human SARS coronaviruses. Thus both species linked to high citation counts harbor coronaviruses which are more phylogenetically similar to human SARS viruses. On the other hand, feline (FIPV, FCOV) and canine coronaviruses (CCOV) are in the alpha coronavirus clade and more distant from the betaB clade with human SARS viruses. Other results include detection of apparent citation bias favouring authors with western sounding names. Equal performance of TF-IDF weights and binary word incidence matrix was observed, with the latter resulting in better interpretability. The best predictive performance was obtained with a "black-box" method-neural network. The rule-based models led to most insights, especially when coupled with text representation using semantic entity detection methods. Follow-up work should focus on the analysis of citation patterns in the context of phylogenetic trees, as well on patterns referring to DPP4, which is currently considered as a SARS-Cov-2 therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Beranová
- Department of Econometrics, Faculty of Informatics and Statistics, VSE Praha, W Churchill sq. 4, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marcin P. Joachimiak
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA
| | - Tomáš Kliegr
- Department of Information and Knowledge Engineering, VSE Praha, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Gollam Rabby
- Department of Information and Knowledge Engineering, VSE Praha, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vilém Sklenák
- Centre of Information and Library Services, VSE Praha, Prague, Czech Republic ,Department of Information and Knowledge Engineering, VSE Praha, Prague, Czech Republic
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19
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Summers M, Bunsung R, Manasai W. “Someday we will all learn anew through hands that love us”: Protecting a key insular population of the Sulawesi Fruit Bat
Acerodon celebensis. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marcy Summers
- Alliance for Tompotika Conservation Vashon Washington USA
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20
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Sellars L, Bernotas K, Sebo J. One Health, COVID-19, and a Right to Health for Human and Nonhuman Animals. Health Hum Rights 2021; 23:35-47. [PMID: 34966223 PMCID: PMC8694287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 is a reminder that human, nonhuman, and environmental health are linked, and so efforts to improve human, nonhuman, and environmental health should be linked as well. But current efforts to link these issues fall short by not doing enough for humans, not doing enough for nonhumans, and focusing narrowly on health instead of expansively on health, welfare, and rights. This paper surveys the case for respecting and promoting human and nonhuman welfare, health, and rights simultaneously. It then surveys the impacts of COVID-19 on human and nonhuman populations and proposes steps that humans can take to respect and promote human and nonhuman health, welfare, and rights ethically and effectively in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimberly Bernotas
- Foster care manager of Bideawee, an animal welfare and pet adoption organization in New York, USA
| | - Jeff Sebo
- Clinical associate professor of environmental studies, affiliated professor of bioethics, medical ethics, and philosophy, and director of the Animal Studies MA Program at New York University, USA
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21
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Maas B, Ocampo-Ariza C, Whelan CJ. Cross-disciplinary approaches for better research: The case of birds and bats. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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22
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Bersacola E, Parathian H, Frazão-Moreira A, Jaló M, Sanhá A, Regalla A, Saíd AR, Quecuta Q, Camará ST, Quade SMFF, Jaquite SM, Lopes AG, Patrono LV, Ramon M, Bessa J, Godley BJ, Bonneaud C, Leendertz FH, Hockings KJ. Developing an Evidence-Based Coexistence Strategy to Promote Human and Wildlife Health in a Biodiverse Agroforest Landscape. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.735367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Agroforest mosaics represent one of the most extensive human-impacted terrestrial systems worldwide and play an increasingly critical role in wildlife conservation. In such dynamic shared landscapes, coexistence can be compromised if people view wildlife as a source of infectious disease. A cross-disciplinary One Health knowledge base can help to identify evolving proponents and threats to sustainable coexistence and establish long-term project goals. Building on an existing knowledge base of human–wildlife interactions at Cantanhez National Park (NP), Guinea-Bissau, we developed a causal pathway Theory-of-Change approach in response to a newly identified disease threat of leprosy in the Critically Endangered western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus). The goals of our project are to improve knowledge and surveillance of leprosy in humans and wildlife and increase capacity to manage human–wildlife interactions. We describe the core project activities that aim to (1) quantify space use by chimpanzees across Cantanhez NP and determine the distribution of leprosy in chimpanzees; (2) understand the health system and local perceptions of disease; and (3) identify fine-scale risk sites through participatory mapping of resources shared by humans and chimpanzees across target villages. We discuss the development of a biodiversity and health monitoring programme, an evidence-based One Health campaign, and a One Health environmental management plan that incorporates the sharing of space and resources, and the disease implications of human–non-human great ape interactions. We demonstrate the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement, and the development of strategy that fully considers interactions between people, wildlife, and the environment.
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23
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Thurstan RH, Hockings KJ, Hedlund JSU, Bersacola E, Collins C, Early R, Ermiasi Y, Fleischer‐Dogley F, Gilkes G, Harrison ME, Imron MA, Kaiser‐Bunbury CN, Refly Katoppo D, Marriott C, Muzungaile M, Nuno A, Regalla de Barros A, van Veen F, Wijesundara I, Dogley D, Bunbury N. Envisioning a resilient future for biodiversity conservation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2021; 3:990-1013. [PMID: 34909607 PMCID: PMC8661774 DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect societies across the world, the ongoing economic and social disruptions are likely to present fundamental challenges for current and future biodiversity conservation.We review the literature for outcomes of past major societal, political, economic and zoonotic perturbations on biodiversity conservation, and demonstrate the complex implications of perturbation events upon conservation efforts. Building on the review findings, we use six in-depth case studies and the emerging literature to identify positive and negative outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, known and anticipated, for biodiversity conservation efforts around the world.A number of similarities exist between the current pandemic and past perturbations, with experiences highlighting that the pandemic-induced declines in conservation revenue and capacity, livelihood and trade disruptions are likely to have long-lasting and negative implications for biodiversity and conservation efforts.Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic also brought about a global pause in human movement that is unique in recent history, and may yet foster long-lasting behavioural and societal changes, presenting opportunities to strengthen and advance conservation efforts in the wake of the pandemic. Enhanced collaborations and partnerships at the local level, cross-sectoral engagement, local investment and leadership will all enhance the resilience of conservation efforts in the face of future perturbations. Other actions aimed at enhancing resilience will require fundamental institutional change and extensive government and public engagement and support if they are to be realised.The pandemic has highlighted the inherent vulnerabilities in the social and economic models upon which many conservation efforts are based. In so doing, it presents an opportunity to reconsider the status quo for conservation, and promotes behaviours and actions that are resilient to future perturbation. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth H. Thurstan
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Kimberley J. Hockings
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Johanna S. U. Hedlund
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- Department of BiologyLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Elena Bersacola
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Claire Collins
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of LondonLondonUK
| | - Regan Early
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Yunsiska Ermiasi
- Yayasan Borneo Nature IndonesiaCentral KalimantanPalangka RayaIndonesia
| | | | | | - Mark E. Harrison
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- Borneo Nature Foundation InternationalTremough Innovation CentrePenrynUK
- School of Geography, Geology and the EnvironmentUniversity of LeicesterLeicesterUK
| | | | | | | | | | - Marie‐May Muzungaile
- Biodiversity Conservation and Management DivisionMinistry of Environment, Energy and Climate ChangeVictoriaRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Ana Nuno
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences (CICS.NOVA)School of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH)NOVA University LisbonLisboaPortugal
| | - Aissa Regalla de Barros
- Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas ProtegidasDr. Alfredo Simão da Silva (IBAP)BissauGuiné‐Bissau
| | - Frank van Veen
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | | | | | - Nancy Bunbury
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- Seychelles Islands FoundationVictoriaRepublic of Seychelles
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24
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Environmental Sustainability Post-COVID-19: Scrutinizing Popular Hypotheses from a Social Science Perspective. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13168679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
There is an increasingly vocal debate on potential long-term changes in environmental sustainability spurred by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This article scrutinizes the social science basis of selected popular hypotheses regarding the nexus between the COVID-19 pandemic and the societal transitions towards environmental sustainability. It presents results that were derived through an interdisciplinary dialogue among social scientists. First, it is confirmed that the COVID-19 crisis has likely created a potential window of opportunity for societal change. Yet, to ensure that societal change is enduring and actually supporting the transition towards environmental sustainability, a clear and well-targeted political framework guiding private investments and behavior is required. Second, it is emphasized that there are important structural differences between the COVID-19 crisis and environmental crises, like time scales. Consequently, many strategies used to address the COVID-19 crisis are hardly suitable for long-term transitions towards environmental sustainability. Third, it is argued that transitions towards environmental sustainability—building both on reducing environmental degradation and building socio-techno-ecological resilience—may create co-benefits in terms of preventing and coping with potential future pandemics. However, research still needs to explore how big these synergies are (and whether trade-offs are also possible), and what type of governance framework they require to materialize.
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25
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Lundberg P, Ojala A, Suominen KM, Lilley T, Vainio A. Disease Avoidance Model Explains the Acceptance of Cohabitation With Bats During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Psychol 2021; 12:635874. [PMID: 34335357 PMCID: PMC8322757 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats and humans have a close relationship based on cohabitation, with bats taking roost in buildings. It has been suggested that bats function as a reservoir of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease in humans. A misconception that bats can spread SARS-CoV-2 to humans may have increased negative emotions toward bats and reduced individuals' acceptance of cohabitation with bats during the COVID-19 pandemic. By applying the disease avoidance model, we tested whether knowledge about bats would be associated with reduced negative emotions toward bats, which in turn would be associated with increased acceptance of cohabitation with bats. Moreover, we tested whether previous experiences of bats, perceived COVID-19 risk, age, gender and level of education would be associated with negative emotions and acceptance of bats. A quantitative survey (N = 577) collected during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland was analyzed with multiple linear regression. The results supported the disease avoidance model. Negative emotions toward bats reduced the acceptance of cohabitation with bats. However, knowledge about bats was associated with increased acceptance of bats both directly, as well as indirectly, via reduced negative emotions. Moreover, perceived COVID-19 risk was associated with increased negative emotions toward bats, and reduced acceptance of bats. Females were more likely than other respondents to report negative emotions, and reduced acceptance of cohabitation with bats. Prior experience of bats was associated with increased acceptance of bats as neighbors. These findings suggest that COVID-19 pandemic may threaten the existence of bats if no action is taken. The findings highlight the importance of correcting misunderstandings about non-human species as transmitters of diseases to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piia Lundberg
- BatLab Finland, Zoology Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ann Ojala
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kati M Suominen
- BatLab Finland, Zoology Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Thomas Lilley
- BatLab Finland, Zoology Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Annukka Vainio
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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26
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Shapiro JT, Víquez-R L, Leopardi S, Vicente-Santos A, Mendenhall IH, Frick WF, Kading RC, Medellín RA, Racey P, Kingston T. Setting the Terms for Zoonotic Diseases: Effective Communication for Research, Conservation, and Public Policy. Viruses 2021; 13:1356. [PMID: 34372562 PMCID: PMC8310020 DOI: 10.3390/v13071356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many of the world's most pressing issues, such as the emergence of zoonotic diseases, can only be addressed through interdisciplinary research. However, the findings of interdisciplinary research are susceptible to miscommunication among both professional and non-professional audiences due to differences in training, language, experience, and understanding. Such miscommunication contributes to the misunderstanding of key concepts or processes and hinders the development of effective research agendas and public policy. These misunderstandings can also provoke unnecessary fear in the public and have devastating effects for wildlife conservation. For example, inaccurate communication and subsequent misunderstanding of the potential associations between certain bats and zoonoses has led to persecution of diverse bats worldwide and even government calls to cull them. Here, we identify four types of miscommunication driven by the use of terminology regarding bats and the emergence of zoonotic diseases that we have categorized based on their root causes: (1) incorrect or overly broad use of terms; (2) terms that have unstable usage within a discipline, or different usages among disciplines; (3) terms that are used correctly but spark incorrect inferences about biological processes or significance in the audience; (4) incorrect inference drawn from the evidence presented. We illustrate each type of miscommunication with commonly misused or misinterpreted terms, providing a definition, caveats and common misconceptions, and suggest alternatives as appropriate. While we focus on terms specific to bats and disease ecology, we present a more general framework for addressing miscommunication that can be applied to other topics and disciplines to facilitate more effective research, problem-solving, and public policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Teresa Shapiro
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Luis Víquez-R
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany;
| | - Stefania Leopardi
- Laboratory of Emerging Viral Zoonoses, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy;
| | - Amanda Vicente-Santos
- Graduate Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
| | - Ian H. Mendenhall
- Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore;
| | - Winifred F. Frick
- Bat Conservation International, Austin, TX 78746, USA;
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Rebekah C. Kading
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;
| | - Rodrigo A. Medellín
- Institute of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
| | - Paul Racey
- The Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Exeter TR10 9FE, UK;
| | - Tigga Kingston
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
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27
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Gregg EA, Kusmanoff AM, Garrard GE, Kidd LR, Bekessy SA. Biodiversity conservation cannot afford COVID-19 communication bungles. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:879-882. [PMID: 34334230 PMCID: PMC8318800 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
With COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) dominating headlines, highlighting links between the pandemic and biodiversity may increase public awareness of the biodiversity crisis. However, ill-considered messages that frame nature as the problem rather than the solution could inadvertently propagate problematic narratives and undermine motivations and individual self-efficacy to conserve nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Gregg
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies, RMIT University, GPO Box 3476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
| | - Alexander M Kusmanoff
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies, RMIT University, GPO Box 3476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Georgia E Garrard
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies, RMIT University, GPO Box 3476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia; School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Lindall R Kidd
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies, RMIT University, GPO Box 3476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Sarah A Bekessy
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies, RMIT University, GPO Box 3476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
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28
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Prokop P, Zvaríková M, Zvarík M, Pazda A, Fedor P. The Effect of Animal Bipedal Posture on Perceived Cuteness, Fear, and Willingness to Protect Them. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.681241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Human–animal relationships have long been the subject of controversy because they are shaped by several cultural, inter-individual, and evolutionary factors. Understanding these relationships, however, is important to optimize conservation efforts. There is agreement that perceived similarity between animals and humans is associated with more positive attitudes. The human–animal similarity could be caused by phylogenetic closeness. We hypothesized that the bipedal posture of an animal may be perceived as a cue of phenotypic similarity with humans. We examined this topic by comparing perceived cuteness, fear, and willingness to protect animals differing in body posture, body size, and phylogenetic closeness with humans on a sample of N = 349 Slovak participants. We found that the bipedal posture enhanced perceived cuteness, but this effect was most pronounced in small-bodied animals, particularly those with direct eye contact. Phylogenetically close and small-bodied species (e.g., small mammals) received greater conservation support than phylogenetically distant species (e.g., invertebrates). However, anthropomorphic-looking animals received greater conservation support, suggesting that pictures of animals that more closely resemble humans can be used in conservation campaigns.
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29
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Cerri J, Mori E, Ancillotto L, Russo D, Bertolino S. COVID-19, media coverage of bats and related Web searches: a turning point for bat conservation? Mamm Rev 2021; 52:16-25. [PMID: 34548738 PMCID: PMC8447447 DOI: 10.1111/mam.12261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
SARS‐CoV‐2, the virus that caused the COVID‐19 pandemic, is genomically similar to a SARS‐like beta‐coronavirus found in Asian rhinolophid bats. This evolutionary relationship impressed the global media, which then emphasised bats as key actors in the spillover that resulted in the pandemic. In this study, we highlight changes in the traditional and new media coverage of bats and in Internet search volumes that occurred since the beginning of the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020. We analysed Google and Wikipedia searches for bats and coronaviruses in 21 countries and eight languages, as well as television broadcasts in the USA, some of which have global coverage, between January 2016 and December 2020. In January 2020, the amount of television news about bats boomed, and news associated with the term ‘bat’ shifted to COVID‐19‐related topics. A nearly identical pattern was observed in Google searches during 2020 at the global scale. The daily time series of television coverage and Internet search volumes on bats and coronavirus in the USA covaried in the first quarter of 2020, in line with the existence of a media bubble. Time‐series analysis revealed that both the Google Trends index and visits to Wikipedia pages about bats boomed in early 2020, despite the fact that this time of year is usually characterised by low search volumes. Media coverage emphasised, correctly or not, the role of bats in the COVID‐19 pandemic and amplified public interest in bats worldwide. The public image of these mammals, in many cases threatened and important ecosystem service providers, was seriously compromised. We therefore recommend that policymakers and journalists prioritise scientifically accurate communication campaigns about bats, which would help counteract the surge in bat persecution, and leverage interest towards positive human–bat interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Cerri
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies University of Primorska Glagoljaška 8 6000 Koper Slovenia
| | - Emiliano Mori
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri Via Madonna del Piano 10 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) Italy
| | - Leonardo Ancillotto
- Wildlife Research Unit Dipartimento di Agraria Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II Via Università, 100 80055 Portici NA Italy
| | - Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit Dipartimento di Agraria Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II Via Università, 100 80055 Portici NA Italy
| | - Sandro Bertolino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi Università degli Studi di Torino Via Accademia Albertina 13 10123 Torino Italy
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30
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Soga M, Evans MJ, Cox DTC, Gaston KJ. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on human-nature interactions: Pathways, evidence and implications. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2021; 3:518-527. [PMID: 34230912 PMCID: PMC8251160 DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the global response have dramatically changed people's lifestyles in much of the world. These major changes, as well as the associated changes in impacts on the environment, can alter the dynamics of the direct interactions between humans and nature (hereafter human-nature interactions) far beyond those concerned with animals as sources of novel human coronavirus infections. There may be a variety of consequences for both people and nature.Here, we suggest a conceptual framework for understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect the dynamics of human-nature interactions. This highlights three different, but not mutually exclusive, pathways: changes in (a) opportunity, (b) capability and (c) motivation.Through this framework, we also suggest that there are several feedback loops by which changes in human-nature interactions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to further changes in these interactions such that the impacts of the pandemic could persist over the long term, including after it has ended.The COVID-19 pandemic, which has had the most tragic consequences, can also be viewed as a 'global natural experiment' in human-nature interactions that can provide unprecedented mechanistic insights into the complex processes and dynamics of these interactions and into possible strategies to manage them to best effect. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Soga
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life SciencesThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Maldwyn J. Evans
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life SciencesThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
| | - Daniel T. C. Cox
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Kevin J. Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
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31
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Mammola S, Lunghi E, Bilandžija H, Cardoso P, Grimm V, Schmidt SI, Hesselberg T, Martínez A. Collecting eco-evolutionary data in the dark: Impediments to subterranean research and how to overcome them. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:5911-5926. [PMID: 34141192 PMCID: PMC8207145 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Caves and other subterranean habitats fulfill the requirements of experimental model systems to address general questions in ecology and evolution. Yet, the harsh working conditions of these environments and the uniqueness of the subterranean organisms have challenged most attempts to pursuit standardized research.Two main obstacles have synergistically hampered previous attempts. First, there is a habitat impediment related to the objective difficulties of exploring subterranean habitats and our inability to access the network of fissures that represents the elective habitat for the so-called "cave species." Second, there is a biological impediment illustrated by the rarity of most subterranean species and their low physiological tolerance, often limiting sample size and complicating laboratory experiments.We explore the advantages and disadvantages of four general experimental setups (in situ, quasi in situ, ex situ, and in silico) in the light of habitat and biological impediments. We also discuss the potential of indirect approaches to research. Furthermore, using bibliometric data, we provide a quantitative overview of the model organisms that scientists have exploited in the study of subterranean life.Our over-arching goal is to promote caves as model systems where one can perform standardized scientific research. This is important not only to achieve an in-depth understanding of the functioning of subterranean ecosystems but also to fully exploit their long-discussed potential in addressing general scientific questions with implications beyond the boundaries of this discipline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Mammola
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe)Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS)University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Dark‐MEG: Molecular Ecology GroupWater Research Institute (IRSA)National Research Council (CNR)VerbaniaItaly
| | - Enrico Lunghi
- Key Laboratory of the Zoological Systematics and EvolutionInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università degli Studi di Firenze“La Specola”FirenzeItaly
| | - Helena Bilandžija
- Department of Molecular BiologyRudjer Boskovic InstituteZagrebCroatia
| | - Pedro Cardoso
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe)Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS)University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Volker Grimm
- Department of Ecological ModellingHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Susanne I. Schmidt
- Institute of HydrobiologyBiology Centre CASČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | | | - Alejandro Martínez
- Dark‐MEG: Molecular Ecology GroupWater Research Institute (IRSA)National Research Council (CNR)VerbaniaItaly
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32
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Vijay V, Field CR, Gollnow F, Jones KK. Using internet search data to understand information seeking behavior for health and conservation topics during the COVID-19 pandemic. BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION 2021; 257:109078. [PMID: 34584274 PMCID: PMC8460288 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Emerging zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19, exist at the intersection of human health and the environment. Public interest and support are required to maximize the effectiveness of policies to combat the current pandemic and prevent future outbreaks of zoonoses. Here, we use internet search data from the United States to investigate changes in public information seeking about topics at the intersection of health and the environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using breakpoint detection methods, we identify sharp increases in interest for 'wildlife trade', 'bats', and 'pangolins' in the early stages of the pandemic (on Jan. 12, Jan. 19, and Jan. 26, 2020, respectively). Network analyses also revealed increasing connectivity between terms related to human health and the environment, as well as the emergence of novel search terms pointing to a greater interest in wildlife trade and consumption. During the pandemic, the network connectivity between coronavirus keywords and conservation keywords increased, which we measured using the number of unique connections (edge connectivity, k' (G)) and the number of simple paths (Sp) between keywords. Both measures of network connectivity increased between 'coronavirus' and 'bats' or 'pangolins' (Δk' (G) = 1, ΔSp = 37), and between 'coronavirus' and 'conservation' (Δk' (G) = 1, ΔSp = 160). These findings suggest that policy and outreach efforts aimed at engaging public interest in intersectional approaches to pandemic prevention (eg: One Health, Planetary Health), may be able to take advantage of increases in public information seeking following catalyzing events during the pandemic. Further monitoring is needed to determine if these changes persist over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varsha Vijay
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Christopher R Field
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Florian Gollnow
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kelly K Jones
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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33
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Boso À, Álvarez B, Pérez B, Imio JC, Altamirano A, Lisón F. Understanding human attitudes towards bats and the role of information and aesthetics to boost a positive response as a conservation tool. Anim Conserv 2021; 24:937-945. [PMID: 34177353 PMCID: PMC8212112 DOI: 10.1111/acv.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
An understanding of human attitudes towards wildlife can be an essential element in the success or failure of a conservation initiative, policy or practice and represents one of the main conservation problems for wildlife species. Despite the ecosystem services bats provide, they often are a socially stigmatized group, misperceived and even hunted. This problem has been on the increase as a result of the Covid‐19 pandemic. We examined how aesthetic appeal and informational factors could influence human attitudes towards bats in a survey of 1966 participants from Spanish‐speaking countries. Gender, educational level, religiousness and previous experiences with bats were relevant variables to understand attitudes towards them. The results indicate that both aesthetic and informational stimuli increase the positive responses, reducing the negatives on the participants' attitudes. Our results show the importance of public attitudes to achieve conservation goals, especially in the context of human‐wildlife conflict. Bats are not charismatic animals and are still surrounded in mystery; however, our findings could benefit bat conservation plans, allowing the development of new communication strategies both locally and nationally and increasing public acceptance that will facilitate bat conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Àlex Boso
- Núcleo Científico Tecnológico en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Universidad de La Frontera Temuco Chile
| | - Boris Álvarez
- Departamento de Psicología Universidad Católica de Temuco Temuco Chile
| | - Beatriz Pérez
- Núcleo Científico Tecnológico en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Universidad de La Frontera Temuco Chile
| | - Juan Carlos Imio
- Laboratorio de Ecología del Paisaje y Conservación Departamento de Ciencias Forestales y Medio Ambiente Universidad de La Frontera Temuco Chile
| | - Adison Altamirano
- Laboratorio de Ecología del Paisaje y Conservación Departamento de Ciencias Forestales y Medio Ambiente Universidad de La Frontera Temuco Chile
| | - Fulgencio Lisón
- Laboratorio de Ecología del Paisaje y Conservación Departamento de Ciencias Forestales y Medio Ambiente Universidad de La Frontera Temuco Chile.,Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Lab Departamento de Zoología Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas Universidad de Concepción Concepción Chile
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34
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Delahay RJ, de la Fuente J, Smith GC, Sharun K, Snary EL, Flores Girón L, Nziza J, Fooks AR, Brookes SM, Lean FZX, Breed AC, Gortazar C. Assessing the risks of SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife. ONE HEALTH OUTLOOK 2021; 3:7. [PMID: 33834160 PMCID: PMC8024038 DOI: 10.1186/s42522-021-00039-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 likely emerged from a wildlife source with transmission to humans followed by rapid geographic spread throughout the globe and severe impacts on both human health and the global economy. Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been many instances of human-to-animal transmission involving companion, farmed and zoo animals, and limited evidence for spread into free-living wildlife. The establishment of reservoirs of infection in wild animals would create significant challenges to infection control in humans and could pose a threat to the welfare and conservation status of wildlife. We discuss the potential for exposure, onward transmission and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in an initial selection of wild mammals (bats, canids, felids, mustelids, great apes, rodents and cervids). Dynamic risk assessment and targeted surveillance are important tools for the early detection of infection in wildlife, and here we describe a framework for collating and synthesising emerging information to inform targeted surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife. Surveillance efforts should be integrated with information from public and veterinary health initiatives to provide insights into the potential role of wild mammals in the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. J. Delahay
- National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ UK
| | - J. de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078 USA
| | - G. C. Smith
- National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ UK
| | - K. Sharun
- ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh India
| | - E. L. Snary
- Department of Epidemiological Sciences, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB UK
| | - L. Flores Girón
- Centre de Rehabilitation des Primates de Lwiro, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - J. Nziza
- Gorilla Doctors Inc., P.O. Box 115, Musanze, Rwanda
| | - A. R. Fooks
- Virology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB UK
| | - S. M. Brookes
- Virology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB UK
| | - F. Z. X. Lean
- Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB UK
| | - A. C. Breed
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland Australia
- Epidemiology and One Health Section, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra, Australia
| | - C. Gortazar
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
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35
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Rocha R, López-Baucells A, Fernández-Llamazares Á. Ethnobiology of Bats: Exploring Human-Bat Inter-Relationships in a Rapidly Changing World. J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.1.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Rocha
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Adrià López-Baucells
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
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36
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Shapiro HG, Willcox AS, Ader DR, Willcox EV. Attitudes towards and Relationships with Cave-Roosting Bats in Northwest Cambodia. J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.1.87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah G. Shapiro
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, 274 Ellington Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
| | - Adam S. Willcox
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, 274 Ellington Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
| | - David R. Ader
- Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture, 101 McCord Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996
| | - Emma V. Willcox
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, 274 Ellington Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jens Rydell
- Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
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38
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Rocha R, Fernández-Llamazares Á, López-Baucells A, Andriamitandrina SFM, Andriatafika ZE, Temba EM, Torrent L, Burgas D, Cabeza M. Human-Bat Interactions in Rural Southwestern Madagascar through a Biocultural Lens. J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.1.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Rocha
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Adrià López-Baucells
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Santatra F. M. Andriamitandrina
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Zo Emmanuel Andriatafika
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eric Marcel Temba
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Laura Torrent
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Daniel Burgas
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mar Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
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39
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Hancock JT, Rouse RC, Stone E, Greenhough A. Interacting Proteins, Polymorphisms and the Susceptibility of Animals to SARS-CoV-2. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:797. [PMID: 33809265 PMCID: PMC8000148 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a world-wide problem for the human population. It is known that some animal species, such as mink, can become infected and transmit the virus. However, the susceptibility of most animals is not known. Here, we review the use of sequence analysis of the proteins which are known to interact with SARS-CoV-2 as a way to estimate an animal's susceptibility. Although most such work concentrates on the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2), here TMPRSS2 (Transmembrane Serine Protease 2), neuropilin-1 and furin are also considered. Polymorphisms, especially ones which are known to alter viral/host interactions are also discussed. Analysis of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 protein sequences across species suggests this approach may be of some utility in predicting susceptibility; however, this analysis fails to highlight some susceptible animals such as mink. However, combined with observational data which emerges over time about which animals actually become infected, this may, in the future, be a useful tool to assist the management of risks associated with human/animal contact and support conservation and animal welfare measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T. Hancock
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK; (E.S.); (A.G.)
| | - Ros C. Rouse
- Research, Business and Innovation, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK;
| | - Emma Stone
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK; (E.S.); (A.G.)
| | - Alexander Greenhough
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK; (E.S.); (A.G.)
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40
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Lu M, Wang X, Ye H, Wang H, Qiu S, Zhang H, Liu Y, Luo J, Feng J. Does public fear that bats spread COVID-19 jeopardize bat conservation? BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION 2021; 254:108952. [PMID: 33518772 PMCID: PMC7837179 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.108952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
With >1 400 species, bats comprise the second-largest order of mammals and provide critical ecological services as insect consumers, pollinators, and seed dispersers. Yet, bats are frequently associated with infectious human diseases such as SARS, MERS, and Ebola. As early as the end of January 2020, several virological studies have suggested bats as a probable origin for SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. How does the public view the role of bats in COVID-19? Here we report pilot data collected shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19 using two online surveys, combined with a conservation intervention experiment, primarily on people who are receiving or have received higher education in China. We found that 84% of the participants of an online survey (n = 13 589) have misunderstood the relationship between bats and COVID-19, which strengthened negative attitudes towards bats. Knowledge of bats, gender, and education level of the participants affected their attitudes towards bats. Participants who indicated a better knowledge of bats had a more positive attitude towards bats. The proportion of female participants who had negative attitudes towards bats was higher than that of male participants. Participants with a higher education level indicated a more positive attitude towards bats after the outbreak of COVID-19. A specially prepared bat conservation lecture improved peoples' knowledge of bats and the positive attitudes, but failed to correct the misconception that bats transmit SARS-CoV-2 to humans directly. We suggest that the way virologists frame the association of bats with diseases, the countless frequently inaccurate media coverages, and the natural perceptual bias of bats carrying and transmitting diseases to humans contributed to the misunderstandings. This probably led to a rise in the events of evicting bats from dwellings and structures by humans and the legislative proposal for culling disease-relevant wildlife in China. A better understanding of the relationship between disease, wildlife and human health could help guide the public and policymakers in an improved program for bat conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manman Lu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Xindong Wang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Huan Ye
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Huimin Wang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Shan Qiu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Jinhong Luo
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
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41
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Schell CJ, Stanton LA, Young JK, Angeloni LM, Lambert JE, Breck SW, Murray MH. The evolutionary consequences of human-wildlife conflict in cities. Evol Appl 2021; 14:178-197. [PMID: 33519964 PMCID: PMC7819564 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-wildlife interactions, including human-wildlife conflict, are increasingly common as expanding urbanization worldwide creates more opportunities for people to encounter wildlife. Wildlife-vehicle collisions, zoonotic disease transmission, property damage, and physical attacks to people or their pets have negative consequences for both people and wildlife, underscoring the need for comprehensive strategies that mitigate and prevent conflict altogether. Management techniques often aim to deter, relocate, or remove individual organisms, all of which may present a significant selective force in both urban and nonurban systems. Management-induced selection may significantly affect the adaptive or nonadaptive evolutionary processes of urban populations, yet few studies explicate the links among conflict, wildlife management, and urban evolution. Moreover, the intensity of conflict management can vary considerably by taxon, public perception, policy, religious and cultural beliefs, and geographic region, which underscores the complexity of developing flexible tools to reduce conflict. Here, we present a cross-disciplinary perspective that integrates human-wildlife conflict, wildlife management, and urban evolution to address how social-ecological processes drive wildlife adaptation in cities. We emphasize that variance in implemented management actions shapes the strength and rate of phenotypic and evolutionary change. We also consider how specific management strategies either promote genetic or plastic changes, and how leveraging those biological inferences could help optimize management actions while minimizing conflict. Investigating human-wildlife conflict as an evolutionary phenomenon may provide insights into how conflict arises and how management plays a critical role in shaping urban wildlife phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Schell
- School of Interdisciplinary Arts and SciencesUniversity of Washington TacomaTacomaWAUSA
| | - Lauren A. Stanton
- Department of Zoology and PhysiologyUniversity of WyomingLaramieWYUSA
- Program in EcologyUniversity of WyomingLaramieWYUSA
| | - Julie K. Young
- USDA‐WS‐National Wildlife Research Center‐Predator Research FacilityMillvilleUTUSA
| | | | - Joanna E. Lambert
- Program in Environmental Studies and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Colorado‐BoulderBoulderCOUSA
| | - Stewart W. Breck
- USDA‐WS‐National Wildlife Research CenterFort CollinsCOUSA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation BiologyFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Maureen H. Murray
- Urban Wildlife Institute and Davee Center for Epidemiology and EndocrinologyChicagoILUSA
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42
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Preble JH, Ohte N, Vincenot CE. In the shadow of the rising sun: a systematic review of Japanese bat research and conservation. Mamm Rev 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jason H. Preble
- Department of Social Informatics Graduate School of Informatics Island Bat Research Group (IBRG) Kyoto University Yoshida‐honmachi Kyoto606‐8501 Japan
| | - Nobuhito Ohte
- Department of Social Informatics Graduate School of Informatics Island Bat Research Group (IBRG) Kyoto University Yoshida‐honmachi Kyoto606‐8501 Japan
| | - Christian E. Vincenot
- Department of Social Informatics Graduate School of Informatics Island Bat Research Group (IBRG) Kyoto University Yoshida‐honmachi Kyoto606‐8501 Japan
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43
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Harrison ME, Wijedasa LS, Cole LE, Cheyne SM, Choiruzzad SAB, Chua L, Dargie GC, Ewango CE, Honorio Coronado EN, Ifo SA, Imron MA, Kopansky D, Lestarisa T, O’Reilly PJ, Van Offelen J, Refisch J, Roucoux K, Sugardjito J, Thornton SA, Upton C, Page S. Tropical peatlands and their conservation are important in the context of COVID-19 and potential future (zoonotic) disease pandemics. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10283. [PMID: 33240628 PMCID: PMC7678489 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused global disruption, with the emergence of this and other pandemics having been linked to habitat encroachment and/or wildlife exploitation. High impacts of COVID-19 are apparent in some countries with large tropical peatland areas, some of which are relatively poorly resourced to tackle disease pandemics. Despite this, no previous investigation has considered tropical peatlands in the context of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). Here, we review: (i) the potential for future EIDs arising from tropical peatlands; (ii) potential threats to tropical peatland conservation and local communities from COVID-19; and (iii) potential steps to help mitigate these risks. We find that high biodiversity in tropical peat-swamp forests, including presence of many potential vertebrate and invertebrate vectors, combined, in places, with high levels of habitat disruption and wildlife harvesting represent suitable conditions for potential zoonotic EID (re-)emergence. Although impossible to predict precisely, we identify numerous potential threats to tropical peatland conservation and local communities from the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes impacts on public health, with the potential for haze pollution from peatland fires to increase COVID-19 susceptibility a noted concern; and on local economies, livelihoods and food security, where impacts will likely be greater in remote communities with limited/no medical facilities that depend heavily on external trade. Research, training, education, conservation and restoration activities are also being affected, particularly those involving physical groupings and international travel, some of which may result in increased habitat encroachment, wildlife harvesting or fire, and may therefore precipitate longer-term negative impacts, including those relating to disease pandemics. We conclude that sustainable management of tropical peatlands and their wildlife is important for mitigating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and reducing the potential for future zoonotic EID emergence and severity, thus strengthening arguments for their conservation and restoration. To support this, we list seven specific recommendations relating to sustainable management of tropical peatlands in the context of COVID-19/disease pandemics, plus mitigating the current impacts of COVID-19 and reducing potential future zoonotic EID risk in these localities. Our discussion and many of the issues raised should also be relevant for non-tropical peatland areas and in relation to other (pandemic-related) sudden socio-economic shocks that may occur in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E. Harrison
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
- Borneo Nature Foundation International, Penryn, UK
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Lahiru S. Wijedasa
- Integrated Tropical Peatland Research Program (INTPREP), Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- ConservationLinks Pvt Ltd, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lydia E.S. Cole
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
| | - Susan M. Cheyne
- Borneo Nature Foundation International, Penryn, UK
- Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
- IUCN SSC PSG Section on Small Apes, Oxford, UK
| | - Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad
- Department of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
- ASEAN Studies Center, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
| | - Liana Chua
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, Brunel University, London, UK
| | | | - Corneille E.N. Ewango
- Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources Management/Faculty of Sciences, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, DR Congo
| | | | - Suspense A. Ifo
- Laboratoire de Géomatique et d’Ecologie Tropicale Appliquée, Département des Sciences et Vie de la Terre, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | | | - Dianna Kopansky
- Global Peatlands Initiative, Ecosystems Division, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Trilianty Lestarisa
- Faculty of Medicine, Palangka Raya University, Palangka Raya, Kalteng, Indonesia
- Doctoral Program of Public Health, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Patrick J. O’Reilly
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | | | - Johannes Refisch
- Great Apes Survival Partnership, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Katherine Roucoux
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
| | - Jito Sugardjito
- Centre for Sustainable Energy and Resources Management, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Faculty of Biology, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Sara A. Thornton
- Borneo Nature Foundation International, Penryn, UK
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Caroline Upton
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Susan Page
- Borneo Nature Foundation International, Penryn, UK
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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44
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Rocha R, Aziz SA, Brook CE, Carvalho WD, Cooper‐Bohannon R, Frick WF, Huang JC, Kingston T, López‐Baucells A, Maas B, Mathews F, Medellin RA, Olival KJ, Peel AJ, Plowright RK, Razgour O, Rebelo H, Rodrigues L, Rossiter SJ, Russo D, Straka TM, Teeling EC, Treuer T, Voigt CC, Webala PW. Bat conservation and zoonotic disease risk: a research agenda to prevent misguided persecution in the aftermath of COVID‐19. Anim Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Rocha
- CIBIO/InBIO‐UP Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources University of Porto Vairão Portugal
- CEABN‐InBIO Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves” Institute of Agronomy University of Lisbon Tapada da Ajuda Lisbon Portugal
| | - S. A. Aziz
- Project Pteropus Rimba Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
| | - C. E. Brook
- Department of Integrative Biology University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA USA
| | - W. D. Carvalho
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical Universidade Federal do Amapá Macapá‐AP Brazil
| | - R. Cooper‐Bohannon
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling Stirling UK
- Bats without Borders Blantyre Malawi
| | - W. F. Frick
- Bat Conservation International Austin Texas USA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California USA
| | - J. C.‐C. Huang
- Formosan Golden Bat’s Home Shuilin Township Yunlin County Taiwan
| | - T. Kingston
- Department of Biological Sciences Texas Tech University Lubbock Texas USA
| | | | - B. Maas
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Institute of Zoology University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | | | - R. A. Medellin
- Instituto de Ecología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México México City México
| | | | - A. J. Peel
- Environmental Futures Research Institute Griffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - R. K. Plowright
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Montana State University Bozeman MT USA
| | - O. Razgour
- Biosciences University of Exeter Hatherly Laboratories Exeter UK
| | - H. Rebelo
- CIBIO/InBIO‐UP Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources University of Porto Vairão Portugal
- CEABN‐InBIO Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves” Institute of Agronomy University of Lisbon Tapada da Ajuda Lisbon Portugal
| | - L. Rodrigues
- Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas Lisboa Portugal
| | - S. J. Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - D. Russo
- Dipartimento di Agraria Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II via Università 100 Portici (Napoli) Italy
| | - T. M. Straka
- Institute of Ecology Technische Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - E. C. Teeling
- School of Biology and Environmental Science University College Dublin Dublin Ireland
| | - T. Treuer
- College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA
| | - C. C. Voigt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - P. W. Webala
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management Maasai Mara University Narok Kenya
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